Urban Landscape, Native Landscape: Xardíns históricos de Castrelos

Friday, November 23, 2012

Xardíns históricos de Castrelos

Xardíns históricos de Castrelos March 2012

Pazo Quiñones de León, Xardíns históricos de Castrelos March 2012

The French garden, Xardíns históricos de Castrelos March 2012

Xardíns históricos de Castrelos March 2012

Click here for more photos of the Xardíns históricos de Castrelos.

The Xardíns históricos de Castrelos are a series of gardens, or a large garden with many parts, in Vigo, Galiza. It is a pleasant, if not spectacular, garden. The Pazo (Palace) Quiñones de León is a beautiful structure & backdrop for the garden. It houses the Museo Municipal de Vigo "Quiñones de León," certainly worth a visit in itself. According to the museum website: O Pazo Quiñones de León é en si mesmo un documento histórico e unha obra de arte como edificio. (The Palace Quiñones de León is itself a historical document and a work of art as a building.) Completed in 1633, it is an example of an urban Spanish renaissance palace set in the Galician countryside. Upgrades & renovations, including the gardens, were made by the Marquis de Alcedo in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The gardens were designed by the prestigious Portuguese landscape designer Jacintho Mattos, based in Porto. There are 6 distinct parts: the entrance garden, the rose garden, the French garden, the English garden (also called the tea meadow), the terrace at the bottom of the meadow, & the bosque beyond, which features an allee of immense Eucalyptus globulus.

1 comment:

Mark and Gaz said...: Such a majestic, historical palace and garden Jordan!; November 23, 2012 at 6:14 AM

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This blog began in 2008 as Metropolitan Gardens to provide information on gardening in Seattle & places like it. Click on Gardening in Cascadia. The blog expanded to include Parks P-Patches Public Gardens in the US, Canada & Europe. Then Nature was added. (The difference between nature & gardens is intent. Nature happens. Gardens are planned.) Many recent posts are not about Seattle, or even Cascadia. They are Urban Landscape: streetscape & architecture. Cascadia is the region including the Cascade Mountains of Washington & Oregon. If you want to contact the blogger, leave a message in comments. Comments are moderated & private messages will not be posted.

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